Bound by Blood
by shadowfox97
Summary: Naruto is happy, naive and optimistic. To everyone he seems to be a perfectly normal child: always laughing, smiling and playing pranks on people he doesn't like. However, unbeknownst to them Naruto is hiding something, something very big; and it all starts with a young girl with a secret she doesn't intend on sharing. AU, and please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

"_What do you want from me child?" He growled, his sharp eyes piercing her blue ones. He felt a sharp tug at his side as his body was slowly ripped apart by the deity behind him; distorting and twisting his very being as it succumbed to the pull of the Death God itself: he could tell he did not have much time left on the human world._

"_I can save you from Hell."_

_His eyes narrowed at the child's arrogant announcement; although she was just a child he was suspicious of her motives. Enraged, he raised his own voice. "Do not try to deal with me impudent mortal! You humans would seal me inside another container once more. I would rather go to Hell than be sealed in some retched human once again!"_

_Even in the face of his anger and frustration she showed no fear, no frustration: only an emotionless mask which he was sure was hiding something unpredictable and potent underneath. "I do not wish to seal you inside another human for as long as I live."_

_He hid his surprise at her answer, and it was only putting the girl under a short, intense observation that sated part of his curiosity. He knew know what the child hid under her mask of no emotions, as he had smelt it on many humans before their death by his hands. He had always come to associate humans with the smell of fear; as he had always encountered fearful humans. She, however, was different. He smelled no fear from her, but he did catch a scent of another emotion he had come to associate with humans: complete desperation._

_She was so desperate, that she had willingly seeked him out after he had killed hundreds of people from what was probably her home town. He asked her "If you were to save me from Hell, what would you want in return?"_

_He decided that complying with the young child's request was worth being saved from that dreadful place._

_She took not even a second to answer. "I want to form a contract with you."_

Chapter 1

"Wow Naruto." A ten year old boy exclaimed. "When you said that the Hokage got you an apartment, I thought you were joking!"

The boy then proceeded to walk around the room, opening and closing every drawer of every cabinet he could see; hoping to find something interesting in one of them. His brown eyes glowed brightly with unguarded curiosity and mischief; which instantly gave him away to the other boy.

"Yeah, I know." Naruto rubbed the back of his head as he laughed. "Not everybody is so awesome that they get an apartment all to themselves like me Kiba, and stop looking through my stuff!"

Kiba ignored the blond boy's yell and continued to nosy his way through the house as he entered the kitchen. "You have your own oven? Cool!"

Naruto sighed at his friend's antics before resuming his conversation with him. "I should invite everyone over huh?" he sniggered, "Would they be as shocked and awed as you are? What do you think?"

Kiba ceased his search for a moment as he turned to scowl at his host. "I'm not awed!" he declared adamantly, "I'm just…a little jealous is all."

Naruto smirked at the other boys sinful emotions, but before Kiba could see or recognise the odd gesture for what it was, it vanished: leaving behind a mischievous grin which hid his blue eyes behind closed eyelids. "Admit it; you are in awe of me: the great Naruto Uzumaki!"

Seemingly banishing his previous thoughts from his mind, Kiba laughed at Naruto exclamation. "Yeah right! As if you could ever become great."

Continuing their light banter they then exited the kitchen and entered the master bedroom. The walls were painted a dark midnight blue, lit by a single bulb which hung solemnly in the middle of the room. The only window in the bedroom was a small one in the back corner which let barely a trickle of light through its dusty glass. The only objects in the room were the double bed, a large cabinet which was positioned next to it and a wardrobe. All in all, the room was bare and eerily silent.

"I've just noticed," Kiba began, looking solemnly around the room, "you've got no belongings here, or in any room."

Naruto looked at his friend strangely, and when he noticed the puzzled look in his brown eyes, his own narrowed. "What do you mean? I own this bed, the cabinets and the couch and everything else here."

Kiba shook his head, his short spiky hair looking even more ruffled than it was before. He then relapsed into his previous habit of poking around drawers and opened those in the cabinet. "No, I mean- you have no personal stuff: like books or toys, not any pictures or posters either. Do you have any at all?"

Naruto gave a tight smile to his friend before answering. "Yes, of course I do. Just not all of them have been moved from the orphanage yet."

The brown haired boy smiled at him briefly before reverting most of his attention back to nosing around his bedroom. "I'm glad, for a moment I thought- Wait! What's this?"

The boy pulled a large, heavy book from the top drawer of the cabinet, its spine cracked and pages yellow with age. There was no title on the dark, thick cover, which left the brown haired boy puzzled as to what the book was about.

"I never knew you read outside of class." Kiba muttered as he attempted to hold the large book with both of his arms, though it was evident by the shaking of his limbs that he was failing.

"Put that down on the cabinet." Naruto ordered. "And please don't touch it, it's very old and it took a lot of… _effort_ for me to get it."

Kiba thankfully did not notice his friend's hesitation and continued to inspect the book. Opening the first page, he was surprised to find that not only was the text inside small and handwritten; he did not recognise it.

"Wow" the brown haired boy could only mutter as he turned a few more pages, only to be greeted by more writing in an unrecognisable text. "This is a different language, can you read it?"

Before Kiba could do any irreversible damage to the book, Naruto swiped it off of him. He easily held the thick book between his arms before returning it to its rightful place in the dark corner of the drawer.

With the drawer clicked shut, Naruto deemed himself ready to answer his friend's question. "Yes of course, why would I have it if I couldn't? Anyway, enough of that, don't you want to see the TV I got as a home warming gift from the Hokage?"

Kiba's face lit up with a grin "You bet I do!"

Naruto led Kiba out of his bedroom, and the brown haired boy made his way quickly to the living room, waiting anxiously for Naruto to switch the new modern TV on; not once realising how he had been steered away from the topic of that mysterious book he had seen.

**Hi everybody; I'm back after a very **_**very **_**long absence, but I've come back with another plot idea. I've been in the process of writing it since about November and have barely some up with 3,000 words; although the plot's there I have had bother trying to write it. I am hoping to get back into the habit of churning out 5,000 in one sitting but…well, let's see what happens.**

**Sorry if Kiba seems out of character and old for his age, I find it really hard to dull down speech, so I can only really apologize; I did try though. If you think Naruto's a bit out of character well, that's deliberate, all will be explained later in the story. Both Naruto and Kiba were about 10 in that scene. So, yeah; again, I apologize if Kiba seems out of character.**

**The plot is also very 'out there' so to speak; I haven't seen many other fanfics with a plot similar to it; but I am rather picky with what I read. It's also not planned out entirely so yeah, it will be interesting for me to see where this will go also. **

**Well, I think that's it; I hope you like it. I know its short; but the chapters after this will be longer; that I can promise. I like to think of this as the introduction, a way of setting the scene and the likes. Anyhow, please review; whether it be words of encouragement or constructive criticism (not flames, although I find it amusing when I look at reviews on other stories and see that somebody has flamed them on their plot when the troll can't even spell or use grammar correctly, makes me laugh just thinking about it.) it will be greatly appreciated.**

**Thanks for reading, and if there are any mistakes or misuse of grammar then please tell me; as this is unbetaed so it's probably not up to par with stories that are. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Two years after Kyuubi attack_

_It had been several years since he had seen the young girl who had demanded a contract with him, after accepting her conditions and speaking his own she had vanished; leaving him to fend and learn for himself. He was quite adept at human language even before the contract was created, but he was also required to learn human body language, their way of living and how to respond to situations in a way that would lead to no suspicions from the humans around him; he knew that one slip up would most definitely lead to trouble. Luckily, he was a quick learner, and had no doubts he would master these tasks by the time they were needed._

_Currently lying down in the long thick grass in one of the many fields around the village, he brought his small, stubby, very _human_ hand to his line of vision. He clenched and unclenched it in morbid fascination; like he did when everything human had been new and foreign to him._

_He reluctantly broke his attention from his hand to the important matter which had literally been sprung upon him._

"_Hello." A very familiar face greeted him with a small smile, although looking older than when he had seen her last. His contractor sat beside him, twirling a piece of grass in between her fingers._

"_Where have you been these past two years?" he demanded, not being one for idle talk._

"_Travelling. What else?" she answered._

_As he studied her, he noticed the thick jacket, long trousers and large boots she was wearing; she definitely looked to have had travelled around._

"_Where's your rucksack?" he asked._

_She shifted from her sitting position to lie down on the grass. "Don't need one" she said, burrowing her free hand into one of the many pockets on her travelling jacket; once she had removed her hand she showed him a single white scroll "Sealing scrolls are better."_

_He took the scroll offered to him and unravelled it; absent mindedly studying the seal inside it._

"_You know…" she started, "I never did ask your name."_

_He rolled the scroll back up before he answered. "I go by many. You made these seals yourself?"_

_She turned to face him, propping her head with her hand. "I meant the first name you were ever given, you must have one surely? And yes, sealing scrolls are rather expensive to buy."_

"…_That would depend on which of me you are referring to." He chuckled, as if he were laughing at a personal joke._

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"I'm sorry Naruto, but I can't pass you."

Iruka felt his stomach turn when he saw the hope in the young blond's eyes disappear, sorrow turning his unusually bright eyes dim. This being his third try, Iruka thought that maybe Naruto would pass this exam and finally become the ninja he had always dreamed and boasted of becoming; but alas, it was not meant to be, and as the only student in his class so far to fail the exam, it was understandable as to why he looked so utterly dejected.

"Maybe next year." He added encouragingly, on the inside he winced. He knew he was probably adding salt to the wound by saying that and it was evident that he was by the way the boy's eyes darkened further before exiting the room.

Iruka sighed; he was so not getting paid enough for this. He wished that he could let Naruto pass, it was easy to see how hard the boy tried: especially this year. However rules were rules; and Naruto could not pass this exam because of the abomination that was his clone jutsu.

Iruka had to admit; although Naruto had failed his exam he was not an incompetent ninja. Sure, his speed was lacking, and he wasn't by any means the brightest student in his class, but aside from that his fighting technique was good in comparison with most of his classmates (his technique could not however technically be called taijustu, as that would require formation and structure; and the young blond certainly did not have that). He also had plenty of chakra: more than double what he had when he was Naruto's age. Although that, he supposed; was mostly due to the demon inside him. The young blond's large chakra capacity also meant that his chakra control was almost inexistent, and when he practised his justu he would always load it with much more chakra than was needed.

As he was concerned, the young boy only needed a little more time to be able to pass the exam; and the chuunin had no doubt that when that time came Naruto would show them all how they misjudged him as a failure and dead-last.

_Three Years after Kyuubi attack_

"_So, I heard the Hyuuga heiress was kidnapped." _

_He noticed his contractor had been making random appearances at his flat, which were steadily getting more common this past year. This time though she had decided to visit him underneath his favourite tree, which happened to be situated in the middle of a field._

_He wondered why in his spare time: did she not trust him to do his job correctly? or perhaps she had grown a sort of attachment to him?_

"_I believe her father caught and killed the kidnapper before any damage was done." He answered, though he knew she would already know all about the kidnapping._

"_A Kumo ninja it was, one from the squad sent over to Konoha for piece negotiations." She added. He raised an eyebrow in response; he never knew that juicy little tibid of information. He considered himself rather adept at information gathering; finding the process of manipulating humans into answering his questions rather amusing. He got all of his information from the streets of Konoha, where humans gossiped with each other as if no-one could hear them. In this atmosphere it was rather easy to acquire information, especially when it came to hot topics such as the Hyuuga kidnapping._

_With this in mind, it was easy to figure out that this particular information had not been released to the Konoha public yet; this also meant that his contractor did not get the information from Konoha like he had previously assumed._

_Unable to keep his curiosity to himself, he asked "And where did you get this information from?'_

_She grinned at him, leaning back against a tree in the middle of the field they were currently sitting in. "I do not communicate with anyone in Konoha, except for you of course. My information is not just collected from one area alone; but from many different locations across the Elemental Nations. The more sources, the more reliable and accurate your information becomes, or so I was told…"_

_He nodded, finding the reason sensible enough._

"_Kumo will demand penance from Konoha." His contractor stated._

"_They will demand the Clan Head's execution, for being the man who dealt the killing blow." He was eager for this conversation to end, but she continued on; seeming to not care if she irritated him. _

"_The Hyuuga are not stupid, they will find a way to spare their Clan Head, even at the cost of other lives."_

"_Of that I have no doubt." He ended, before his contractor abruptly stood up and walked away from the field; a completive look on her face. He did not follow her. _

_Once he was sure that she was gone; he pondered at the puzzle and mystery that was his contractor. The smell of desperation that he had smelled on her years ago had now disappeared, and she did not seem to be fearful or at least wary of irritating and teasing him as she had just done; even knowing full well who and _what _he was, knowing what she had contracted him for and what that meant when the time comes for her to hold up her side of the bargain._

_He had to admit though: that there was more to his contractor than he previously thought- something special, sharp, unpredictable about her that constantly managed to surprise him._

_He found himself liking that._

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"You are the Nine Tailed fox!" the man-no, monster- yelled above Naruto; a crazed look in his eye and a large shuriken in his hand, Iruka wondered at how anyone could have missed how unstable Mizuki really was. He could admit he was somewhat upset about this new revelation; but he supposed Naruto felt more despair than he could ever begin to comprehend.

It was one thing for a student to see his teacher, a person who had taught the young boy and spent time with him, snap and go insane; it was another thing for said teacher to tell the blond why he was hated so much by this own village.

It was hard for Naruto growing up, the majority of the village tended to become guarded or outright hostile towards him; they did not physically abuse the young blond, but the mental abuse he suffered was probably enough to break many strong willed men; Iruka still did not know how Naruto put up with it.

This new information, however, Iruka knew had the power to break Naruto. Learning why he was hated, even if it was slightly incorrect –Naruto had the Ninetales sealed inside him but was not the monster itself- was very traumatic and would leave him believing that he was at fault for everything the Fox did. The young blond just stood there, in what Iruka assumed to be a stunned stupor; not moving even an inch as Mizuki cackled madly infront of him.

"Now then Fox, time to end you once and for all! Then I will have the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing to myself!" the mad man shouted before proceeding to throw the large shuriken in his hand straight at Naruto.

Luckily, Iruka had seen Mizuki's arm twitch in preparation just a second before he threw it and was able to –without any hesitation- throw himself infront of Naruto and the impending shuriken. He screamed in agony as the sharp blade tore through the flesh of his back, feeling the cold caress of his blood trickling down his back. Iruka breathed in sharply, trying to hold in his wails. He raised his head to look at the young blond, whose face he saw for the first time after Mizuki had told him the truth.

"N-naruto?" he stuttered in confusion; unnerved by the boy's reaction, or lack of in this case.

The blond's face was hidden by his dipped head, his blond locks covering the majority of his features. Iruka saw him as he started to shake and clench his fists so hard that blood ran down his left palm where one of his nails had pierced his skin. He tried to get his attention. "Naruto, can you hear me? Don't listen to him; he's lying! You're not the Kyuubi Naruto! Na-"

"hmhmhmhmhahahahaHahHaHaHaHaHAHAHAHA!" Naruto could not keep him his amusement anymore; holding his stomach as he tried to catch his breath from the laughing fit he had succumbed to. Iruka just looked on in horror, thinking the boy had had a mental breakdown.

"Ha….ha…ha, Oh my… that was amusing. That's my day made." The blond breathed heavily as he came down from the high before.

Mizuki looked on in a stupor, his previously laughing features morphed into ones of confusion. "Wait- what? W-why? Why are you not-"

"You assumed I didn't already know the truth." Naruto answered, smirking. "And that, _dearest_ sensei, was your mistake."

"H-how? How did you fi-" Mizuki didn't have the time to finish speaking his question as Naruto had appeared behind him suddenly and delivered a very quick and efficient knock to the neck; silencing him quickly as he was thrown into the world of unconsciousness. The blond then walked away from the unconscious villain and towards Iruka. Unsure of what to say he said nothing, waiting for Naruto to speak first.

The boy sat down next to his instructor as he made himself comfortable in the long grass and dropped the large scroll beside him he told him. "Anbu will be here shortly, they must have sensed us here by now."

Still not knowing what to say to his student he blurted the first thing that came to mind. "You did well, knocking out Mizuki; that hit on his neck was very accurate."

The blond raised an eyebrow in surprise before grinning madly, teeth bared as he replied. "I know right? I'm just that awesome aren't I?"

Iruka then proceeded to hit his student over the head for his arrogance; momentarily forgetting the situation they were in. "You caught him by surprise you big-headed brat. If he was focused you wouldn't have stood a chance!"

"Ouch…" Naruto moaned, rubbing the place on his head where his instructor had hit him. "No need to ruin my fun sensei…..ow, that hurts to touch, did you really have to hit me that hard?"

His question meant unanswered as Iruka asked one of his own. "Naruto, did you really know of your…tenant…before Mizuki told you?"

The young blond then gave him another grin of the same shape and intensity as before, which slightly unnerved Iruka as the boy answered "Yeah, of course. I can never tell a lie sensei; every word I say is the truth."

It was a mixture of not understanding Naruto's answer, his unnerving smile and the newly discovered betrayal of a workmate and comrade that made Iruka decide to not press on with more questions. He supposed the boy would be exhausted also, if not at the news of the Fox, then at his instructor betraying his home village.

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**Hello again. This is last I have of what was prewritten, will little bits and pieces added in. I would've uploaded sooner….but well, school got in the way. I have a Latin Exam in about 2 weeks and I'm sure by the time I've done the exam my teacher will have drowned me and the rest of my class in past papers. Anyhow, since I have to write chapter by chapter from now on, the updates will probably be scarcer.**

**If any of you live in Scotland, have any of you noticed how dreadful the weather is? It's nearly summer and its still so cold that I still have central heating on in the house; is that bad? Plus: the rain. It all makes me want to cry. **

**Also, I want thank all of you who have followed, favourited and reviewed; I appreciate it very much. Please also tell me if you find this story confusing, or if it makes sense, as I am not sure I have made everything clear that I want to be made clear (some of it is meant to remain as a mystery). So please review, it will be a great help to me if you do :) **

**That's it from me, bye for now!**


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